Sony PlayStation vs Nintendo 64: Gaming's Greatest Rivalries

The latest in our Gaming Rivalries series takes to the fifth-generation era of consoles, which saw a period of dramatic change. The CD-ROM format gained prominence, 3D graphics became the norm and Sony took its first steps into the hardware sector with the release of the phenomenally successful PlayStation.

A host of consoles crashed and burned during this age, with the Atari Jaguar, 3DO and Amiga CD32 all consigned to the scrap heap. Sega brought some competition to Sony with the moderately successful Saturn, but the greatest rivalry of this generation belonged to the PlayStation and the Nintendo 64.

Superior third-party support and CD technology gave Sony the edge over its cartridge-based competitor and helped it sell more than three times as many units, but the argument over which is the superior machine is far from simple. With the original PlayStation turning 18 years old this week, we re-examine this heated debate.

Hardware features and design

The PlayStation was first conceived as the result of a partnership between Sony and Nintendo. In the mid-1990s, the two firms were collaborating on a CD-ROM expansion for the Super Nintendo before the project collapsed due to a contractual dispute.

After a drawn-out legal row, Nintendo partnered with Philips to release titles for its ill-fated CD-i console instead, and Sony entered the gaming hardware sector alone. The first PlayStation consoles were released in Japan in December 1994, giving the platform a two-year head start on the N64.

With extra time on their side, Nintendo took the opportunity to develop a technically superior machine. The N64 boasted a 93.7 Mhz 64-bit CPU chip with a 62.5 Mhz RCP and 4MB of RDRAM on board at launch, making it the most powerful console of its generation, on paper at least.

Sony's 32-bit system paled by comparison, with its 33.8 Mhz 32-bit CPU, nameless graphics chip and 2MB of main RAM, but specs alone fail to tell the whole story.

The N64 was held back by the cartridge medium, which brought storage limitations and made the system challenging to develop for. Its rival had no such drawbacks and was able to play host to blockbuster titles with CD-quality sound and FMV cutscenes.

One of the few disadvantages of the CD format was loading times, an area where the N64 emerged on top, with games offering the same plug and play quality traditionally associated with home consoles. Cartridges were also more robust, but this was hardly a significant selling point where developers were concerned.

Graphical comparisons between the two platforms is a contentious issue. While 3D titles on the PlayStation looked pixelated and rough around the edges, skilled developers had numerous means of compensating for this. Many N64 titles ran much smoother by comparison, yet the machine struggled with textures and CGI.

There's an element of personal preference involved, and the contest became even closer when the 4MB memory expansion was released for the N64, though many third-party studios struggled to maximise the potential of the Nintendo machine.

Multi-platform releases often appeared more impressive on the PlayStation, yet on the occasions where the N64 was at its best, it outshone its rival. There weren't too many releases on the Sony platform that could hold a candle to Rare's Conker's Bad Fur Day or Perfect Dark.

The two consoles launched with considerably different controllers. The M-shaped N64 pad is a world away from the current generation Wii U GamePad, while Sony's peripheral design has barely altered since day one.

Nintendo's N64 controller was arguably less comfortable to grip and was prone to wear and tear in the long run, but the analogue stick was a true game-changer when it came to handling 3D sprites, helping the player utilise 360 degrees of motion.

The Big N wasn't the first company to launch a peripheral with an analogue stick, but with the N64 pad, it popularised the concept, paving the way for a host of similar hardware. Sony would not add this feature to its pads until its launched the DualShock controller in 1997.

The N64 pad was also the first home console controller to feature force feedback capabilities, this coming via an external Rumble Pack that plugged into a slot on the back of the peripheral. Unfortunately, the same input was used to house the console's memory cards, so using both in tandem proved problematic.

Local multiplayer support was another area where the N64 came out on top. The platform launched with four built-in controller ports and went on to support a host of games that took full advantage of this, such as Super Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye, Super Smash Bros and F-Zero X.

So, while the N64 packed superior specs on paper, the PlayStation frequently outperformed it thanks to the potential of CD-ROM technology.

Software library

The argument over which console had superior games is very much a case of quality over quantity. As a direct consequence of its CD-shunning strategy, many of the third-party developers that had allied with Nintendo in the past neglected to support the N64.

Sony's PlayStation, on the other hand, had extensive third-party backing and ended up hosting a vast array of triple-A titles. Nintendo simply had no answer to the likes of Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo and Tekken 3 - cinematic releases that helped the console find favor with a more mature crowd than its Nintendo counterpart.

Losing the backing of RPG studio Square proved particularly costly for Nintendo. The promise of CD-backed hardware was enough to convince the Japanese developer to ally with Sony and release some of the most influential titles of the fifth generation of video gaming, notably Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX, which remain superlative examples of their genre.

However, Nintendo has a glistening record in software development and its first-party releases did not disappoint. You simply won't find a better 3D platformer than Super Mario 64 on the PlayStation, or many other consoles for that matter. The game revolutionised its genre and gave its platform its first undisputed classic, and there would be several more of those to come.

Second-party title GoldenEye 64 did for the console shooter what Super Mario 64 did for platforming, out-gunning anything on the Sony system. Developer Rare would later take the game's award-winning formula even further with the game's spiritual successor Perfect Dark, a title that launched towards the end of the N64's lifecycle.

While it was true that the ratio of good games on PlayStation dwarfed that of its rival, the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on N64 in late 1998 single-handedly evened the playing field. Not only was Link's latest adventure the most critically acclaimed title of its generation, it has rightly gone down in history as one of the best games ever made.

The N64 may not have played host to too many all-time classics, but when it got things right, genres were reinvented. The PlayStation did more than its fair share of ground-breaking too, obliterating its competitor on the quantity front, but it didn't have Zelda, Mario or GoldenEye.

Accessories and redesigns

The N64 was released in a range of colors during its lifecycle. In addition to the standard black model, a Jungle Green edition was launched to coincide with the release of Donkey Kong 64, followed by the Funtastic Series of brightly-colored consoles encased in translucent plastic.

A limited-edition Pokemon system with a model Pikachu attached coincided with the debut of Pokemon Stadium, a title that featured innovative cross-play with Game Boy devices via a Transfer Pak that slotted into the back of the N64 controller.

When sales of the console were at their peak, Nintendo commissioned the development of the N64 DD, a disk drive attachment that docked with the system. The accessory was intended to facilitate the release of add-ons for existing games as well as non-gaming applications and other software, but was poorly received when it debuted in Japan.

Only nine titles were ever released for the DD, including an expansion pack for F Zero X and a series of Super Mario-themed art applications. Its commercial performance in the Far East convinced Nintendo that an overseas launch was not viable, but it has become something of a collector's item over the years.

Sony's console enjoyed a longer, more successful lifecycle than the N64, and a new model was released in 2000 to extend its longevity into sixth generation. Dubbed the PSone, the redesigned system was lighter and slimmer than its predecessor and introduced a graphical user interface and protection against the use of modchips.

Sony also released a Combo edition of the PSone with a 5-inch LCD screen attached, but this would have been far more useful had it included a battery for portability purposes.

The PSone went on to outsell all other consoles for the remainder of the year, including Sony's newly-released PlayStation 2. Combined sales of all models of the original PlayStation had exceeded 102 million units by the time the platform was discontinued in 2006, making it by far the most successful console of the fifth generation.

The N64 was retired in 2003, by which time it had sold just shy of 33 million units. Although it lacked the commercial success and rich library of its Sony counterpart, it did play host to some of the very best games of its generation, and for those it will always be remembered. We can only wonder what might have been had Nintendo chosen CDs over cartridges in 1996.

Legacy

The N64's legacy remains strong today, with many of its best titles selling well on Nintendo's online storefront. The likes of Super Mario 64 and Zelda: The Ocarnia of Time have even been remade for the DS and 3DS respectively.

Many of the principles the system introduced continue to play a major role in the company's strategy in the current generation. The Super Mario Galaxy series is based on the Mario 64 blueprint, and modern entries in the Super Smash Bros and Mario Party series do their utmost to emulate the multiplayer gameplay of the N64 originals.

Nintendo continues to use analogue sticks to this day, even though motion controls and dual-screen gaming are now the headline features of its latest Wii U hardware.

Today, the company is seen as the most family-friendly hardware developer, with the Wii finding favor among the all-ages demographic. Nintendo took its first steps towards this with the N64, which was considered more suitable for younger gamers than the PlayStation.

Sony's PlayStation is remembered as an equally influential machine, and is credited with single-handedly killing off cartridges in the home console market and making gaming accessible to a much bigger audience.

Prior to the company's arrival on the hardware scene, people perceived gaming as something the younger generation did, and grew out of once they reached a certain age. The strength of the Sony brand combined with cutting-edge technology of the PlayStation helped the public see past that and establish gaming as a legitimate form of entertainment.

State-of-the-art technology remains at the forefront of Sony's business strategy during the PlayStation 3 era, but those PSone classics continue to do big business on the PlayStation Network, and many of the series they kickstarted, such as Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, WipeOut and Tomb Raider, are still going strong today.

Did you favor the Sony PlayStation, or the Nintendo 64? Post a comment below!